Blair called time on his career at the age of 31 after amassing 85 caps, a record for a Scotland scrum-half. The former Edinburgh captain revealed his decision was based mainly on family reasons and a desire to see Scotland introduce new scrum-half talent before the 2015 World Cup.

And his former club and country team-mate Paterson paid tribute to his friend's 10-year contribution to Scotland.

Paterson, Scotland's record points scorer and cap holder, said: "Mike was one of the most gifted and naturally skilful players I ever played alongside. His ability to read a game and make the correct decision was brilliant.

"He was razor-sharp in attack and his defence, especially when chasing back and cover tackling, showed how tough a player he was.

"I think he was involved in every match-day Scotland squad, when available for selection, for a decade, which is a real reflection of how good a player Mike was - a great Scottish internationalist."